Location details:
On the street in Little Havana, about a block from Greyston Garcia's residence in
Miami,
Miami-Dade County,
on Jan. 25, 2012

What happened: When Greyston Garcia discovered Pedro Roteta was stealing his car radio, he grabbed a knife, ran downstairs and chased Roteta down the street. After confronting Roteta, who reportedly had a closed pocketknife in his back pocket, Garcia fatally stabbed him. He said the man swung a heavy bag of car radios at his head. The incident was caught on camera. Garcia went home and fell asleep without calling 911, court records show. Garcia initially denied any involvement in the situation, but changed his story after police showed him videotape from a nearby store security camera. The officer who supervised the case asked,"How can it be stand your ground"?

The outcome: On March 20, a Miami-Dade judge cited the "stand your ground" law in dismissing the case against Garcia. The judge said when Roteta swung a 4- to 6-pound bag of stolen car radios at Garcia just before the stabbing, it amounted to a lethal threat. The state attorney said she would appeal the judge's ruling.
Greyston Garcia was killed by a stray bullet from a nearby firefight as he pulled up to a gas station in Liberty City on June 26, 2012.

Investigating agency: Miami Police

Case decision made by: Judge

Weighing the circumstances

Trayvon Martin’s death became controversial because circumstances leading up to the shooting cast doubt on who was to blame. The Tampa Bay Times reviewed other “stand your ground” cases for similar circumstances. The Times relied on available information, some of which may not tell the whole story. When the situation was unclear, that was noted.